6 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Freelancer

The workforce landscape is changing in a way we could have never predicted. We’re shifting from the 9-to-5 we’ve come to know and loathe, to embrace a new workplace norm. We’re enabled and empowered to work for anyone, from anywhere, at any time.

But with a fluid work environment, there’s the added pressure to adapt quickly, and stay at the top of the working food chain. If your niche business doesn’t have the resources to take things to the next level, you could either be left behind, or you could hire a freelancer.

Here are six excellent (and money-making) reasons why freelancers should be your next investment.

It’ll save you money

You’re paying your employees for an eight-hour work day, right? But what if we told you that they’re actually only working five of those hours that you’re paying them for? LifeHacker reports that your employees will on average spend three hours cyberloafing (that’s slacking off in the tech-charged era). But a freelancer only charges you for when they’re actually working on your projects, so you won’t be billed for coffee breaks, water station chats, ‘gramming, or socialising!

Plus, what’s the point of hiring a fulltime employee, and forking out yet another salary and dishing out more company benefits, when you only need that graphic design work done for your twice-a-year campaigns? Despite the higher hourly rate, you can save approximately 20 to 30 percent each year by opting for a freelancer.

It’ll save you space

Adding more fire to the saving money debate, is saving office space. Real life human beings tend to take up a lot of space – but not if they work from their own abode! Reduced overheads will make your hip pocket happy, and won’t mess with your office Feng Shui.

It’ll give you more flexibility

Let’s be honest. Your business is in need of a much-needed yoga lesson. Consumers today want answers fast (as in, five minutes ago), so your business hours need to be as flexible as a yogi on muscle relaxers. The perk of a freelancer is that when you’ve shut up shop for the day, your social freelancing whizz can be tapping away replies to Facebook messages, answering blog comments and engaging with a community renowned for being night owls!

It’ll get the job done faster

When you’re hiring a freelancer, you’re hiring an expert. A task outside your usual skill set that might take you three hours, could take an expert freelancer only 10 minutes. It all depends on how much you value your own time.

Freelancers are also always motivated – most of them work from coffee shops, after all. Their constant caffeine buzz means they’ll do an excellent job, fast. They know all too well the importance of reliability and speediness, and they’re not caught up in office politics, or never-ending agenda-less meetings.

It’ll get the job done better

Well, maybe not always, but there’s a pretty good chance a freelancer will think (and do) differently to your usual worker bees. Breathe a breath of fresh ideas into your business with an individual who has devoted their life to simply being creative! They’ve likely tried and tested everything under the sun, probably for your competitors, so they know what works, and more importantly, what doesn’t. Get the edge, and bring that wealth of knowledge into your business.

Freelancers also thrive on repeat business – after all, they’re running their own small business, so they’re in charge of customer service, and quality control. Since they’re not permanently on your payroll, they’ll strive to produce their best work, every time. A freelancer has to prove their worth with every task they’re given to maintain your relationship, and essentially keep their job. When was the last time your employees felt the fear?

Because, strictly speaking, they’re not employees. They don’t have the right to unemployment insurance, and rarely have the right to compensation benefits. They don’t have the right to sue for harassment, discrimination, or unfair dismissal. If they’re not the right fit, they’re easier to sack and replace.

Still not convinced? Here are some common tasks that are easy and cost-effective to outsource:

Writing blog, or web, content – you know that you need quality, SEO-infused web content, updated regularly, but good content takes time. Leave it to the writing pros who know their colons from their commas.

Designing a website, logo or brand – you cannot create your company’s logo in Paint. We repeat, DO NOT create your business’ identity in a free graphic design program! Your brand is make or break, so leave it to someone who knows Comic Sans is never a good idea.

Building a marketing strategy – do you know the difference between organic reach, and paid views? We didn’t think so. You can’t ignore marketing – it’s how your customers find out they need your product or service in their lives. Get a marketing extraordinaire to produce a strategy that you can follow with confidence.

Website programming – just trust us on this one. Leave the coding to the experts, before you break something.

Admin – there’s this new-fangled thing called Virtual Assistants, and they’re as good as chocolate-covered Oreo’s. You can hire VA’s for next to nothing to do those mundane, mind-numbing tasks like replying to generic emails, online research, database entry, bookkeeping, and scheduling.

Convinced? Take your new found love of outsourcing, and explore our awesome freelancer community!

Growing up in Brisbane, Australia, Ashley's love of fresh fruit platters was rivalled only by her love of words. Never a doubt in mind, Ashley studied a dual Bachelor of Journalism and Communication with a focus on Public Relations at The University of Queensland. She fostered her love of storytelling in numerous internships including Channel Nine, ABC, Ipswich News, The Red Republic, Graphic Publ...